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US Airways MEC Government Affairs Newsletter
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Posted On: Jul 13, 2010 (12:30:26)
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US Airways MEC Government Affairs Summer Newsletter
| US Airways MEC
Government Affairs Newsletter |
Summer 2010 Issue |
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A Message from US
Airways MEC Legislative
Affairs Chair Audra West |
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 I
am honored to have been elected as your MEC
Legislative Affairs Chair and am enthusiastic
about the opportunity to serve you, the members,
in that capacity. I am fortunate to have the
opportunity to work with our dedicated LEC
Legislative Chairs: Julia Orlandi (DCA), Cathy
Bossi (CLT) and Kim Kaswinkel (PHL). Your
respective Chairpersons, along with their local
committee members and I, are a legislative team
dedicated to improving the way of life and
future of flight attendants at US Airways. Under
direction from the MEC, we will fight to get
legislation passed that will not only improve
our current and future circumstances but also
improve our bargaining position in contract
negotiations with management. Remember,
“Anything we legislate, we don’t have to
negotiate.” |
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AFA-CWA is currently working many initiatives on
behalf of our flight attendants that have led to
the introduction of a number of pieces of
legislation in this 111th Congress. This is our
time to forge ahead with the work of protecting
and advancing our profession by getting fair and
democratic voting procedures for
representational elections, keeping our jobs in
the U.S., asserting our role |
as safety and security professionals, continuing
to push for work place safety and health
improvements, and working to protect workers’
rights during corporate bankruptcy. This year,
AFA-CWA is making even more headway in our
advocacy for the rights of the flight attendants
we represent. Read the following to learn more
and become involved in supporting our issues. |
National Mediation Board Policy Change
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On May 10, 2010 the National
Mediation Board announced a policy
change to the voting procedures used
during an election for union
representation. This long-awaited
decision will align the rules for
representational elections in our
industry with democratic elections
around the world. No longer will a
'non' vote be counted as a 'no'
vote. AFA-CWA and its many flight
attendant activists has worked
tirelessly to |
make this historic change a reality.
It is the direct result of a
confluence of timing, hard work, and
many initiatives on Capitol Hill,
including a letter sent to the NMB
in support of the rule change signed
by our bi-partisan supporters in
Congress.
On June 25, 2010, the United States
District Court in the District Of
Columbia upheld the new voting
procedures. These new procedures
became effective July 1, 2010. |
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Joint Ventures
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On March 28, 2010
flight attendants from United, US Airways and
other AFA-CWA carriers, showed up at Washington
Dulles International Airport in protest of Aer
Lingus' inaugural flight to Madrid. This flight
is the beginning of the airline industry's
efforts to outsource good US union jobs. United
supplies the feeder US. route structure and
marketing, |
while Aer Lingus
provides their aircraft, pilots and contracted
flight attendants. This 'joint venture' allows
each airline to earn up to 50percent of the
revenue, regardless of who does the flying,
leading them to seek cheaper, non-union, labor.
AFA-CWA is urging members of Congress to support
legislation to stop this before it becomes a
trend within the industry. The Aviation Jobs
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Outsourcing
Prevention Act, H.R. 4788, would protect U.S.
workers by requiring U.S. airlines to operate a
percentage of flying within their global
alliance and would require the Department of
Transportation to review and approve revenue
sharing agreements. It is AFA-CWA's position
that U.S. workers must share in the jobs that
are produced by joint ventures. |
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| Counter
Terrorism Initiative |
AFA-CWA is
moving forward with its initiative to close
the security gaps in our industry by
asserting our role as safety and security
professionals. Flight attendants are the
last line of defense in a terrorist attack
involving an airliner. AFA-CWA's Counter
Terrorism Plan is made up of the following
four key points:
Basic and Recurrent Flight Attendant
Counterterrorism Training
Do you feel adequately trained to defend
yourself in a terrorist attack? AFA-CWA is
calling for mandatory security training for
flight attendants--training designed to
teach flight attendants to protect
themselves against a physical attack and to
provide the necessary skills to respond to
acts of sabotage, breach of the cockpit and
potential suicide bombers. We are looking
for a standard protocol across the industry
so all flight attendants are trained and
prepared to take the same action in a
coordinated defense. While additional
training may mean an additional time
commitment on the part of flight attendants,
gaining the ability to defend your
passengers, your plane, your co-workers, and
yourselves will be well worth the additional
effort. |
Wireless
Communications for Flight Attendants
Currently, the only way to communicate from
the cabin with the cockpit is via handsets
in fixed locations connected by wires. On
9/11 it was determined that these wires were
cut. AFA-CWA maintains that crew members
need to carry on their persons a discreet
hands-free device that allows them to
communicate from anywhere in the aircraft at
any time under any circumstance. This would
enable crew members to communicate
effectively with the cockpit, the ground,
and the rest of the crew during a terrorist
situation, a medical emergency, or emergency
evacuation.
Stronger Carry-On Bag Limitations
The Securing Carry-On Baggage Act, H.R.
2870, would create universal limits on the
size of carry-on bags, instead of allowing
each carrier to determine its own limits,
and require the Transportation Security
Administration to enforce those limits by
establishing templates at screening
locations. H.R. 2870 is part of AFA-CWA's
Counter Terrorism plan. |
This stand-alone
bill, which has bi-partisan support, was
introduced on June 15, 2009 by Congressman
Dan Lipinski (D-IL). The passage of this
legislation would relieve flight attendants
from having to police baggage and allow them
to perform their safety and security duties
during boarding without distraction. AFA-CWA
has launched a website,
www.endcarryoncrunch.org, in support of
this initiative. Please take the time to
visit this web site in support of H.R. 2870.
Passenger Communications Systems
Restrictions
As the final piece in the Counter Terrorism
agenda, AFA-CWA recommends that all wireless
communications systems for use by commercial
airplane passengers be turned off during
periods of high or severe risk for terrorist
attacks (as defined by the Department of
Homeland Security). Part and parcel with
this is the continued ban on in-flight cell
phone usage which we are still advocating to
ensure the ban remains in the final version
of the FAA Reauthorization Bill. |
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Bankruptcy Reform
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The "Protecting Employees and Retirees in
Business Bankruptcies Act of 2010," H.R. 4677/S.
3033 was introduced by Congressman Conyers and
Senator Durbin. This legislation seeks to give
employees more protection during a bankruptcy in
two important ways: 1) it reduces management's
ability to single out employees and retirees for
concessions; and 2) it more fairly distributes
the burden of the |
bankruptcy by expanding restrictions on bonuses
awarded to executives and senior management upon
emergence from a bankruptcy. AFA-CWA has been
lobbying members of Congress to urge them to
cosponsor the bill. In addition, on May 25, 2010
Northwest Airlines MEC President Janette Rook
testified at a Commercial and Administrative Law
subcommittee Hearing pertaining to bankruptcy
reform. |
| FlightPAC/COPE
Contest
FlightPAC/COPE
has kicked off a contest that runs May
1-Oct. 26, 2010. Any member who signs up for
PAC to contribute at least $4 a month or
increases their existing contribution by $4
a month will be entered in a drawing to win
a trip to Las Vegas for two, including round
trip tickets and hotel accommodations for
two nights. If we are successful in
increasing AFA's total contributions by 5%,
then all eligible members (anyone who signs
up to contribute $4 a month or increases
their existing contribution by $4 a month)
will be entered in an AFA only drawing to
get a trip prize. If we do not reach the 5%
threshold, then the eligible members will be
in a combined drawing with all other CWA
Districts and Sectors. The winners will be
announced on Election Day November 9. |
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FAA
Reauthorization
On March 22, 2010, the 111th Congress passed the
FAA Reauthorization Bill. The House of
Representatives and the Senate are currently
working to determine the language for the final
version of the bill and AFA-CWA is working to
ensure that our initiatives are included in that
final version. AFA-CWA's initiatives include:
fatigue study funding, HIMS (allows flight
attendants to return to the cabin following
successful drug/alcohol rehabilitation), English
language proficiency, a ban on the use of cell
phones in-flight, a clarification that U.S.
airlines must be owned and operated by U.S.
citizens, workplace safety and health
protections for flight attendants, a prohibition
of smoking on charter flights, notification of
pesticide application on certain flights,
research into the monitoring and filtering of
cabin air, and a study into the need to address
extreme onboard temperatures.
Funding for the Federal Aviation Administration
was set to expire on July 3, 2010, but both the
House of Representatives and the Senate passed
an extension which expires on August 1, 2010. We
are hopeful that the bill can be finished by the
end of July. |
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Audra West, US
Airways MEC Legislative Affairs Chairperson (left) and Debbie
Golombek, United MEC Government Affairs Chairperson (right),
promote FlightPAC. |
FlightPAC
 Flight
attendants work in one of the most heavily regulated industries
in the country. Almost every aspect of our job is impacted by
decisions made by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
in the halls of Congress.
FlightPAC was formed in 1982 and since then our members have
been pooling voluntary contributions to help elect members to
the U.S. House and Senate who will support and stand up for our
issues. FlightPAC is bi-partisan. We do not judge candidates by
political party but rather by their voting history and support
of our issues.
Over the years, AFA-CWA has achieved legislative victories for
our profession including FMLA coverage for our members, smoking
bans on all domestic flights, flight attendant certification,
seniority protections in mergers and increased penalties for
assaulting crew members, to name a few. Our current legislative
agenda includes Counter Terrorism Initiative, Bankruptcy Reform,
OSHA-type protections, improving the quality of cabin air,
English language proficiency requirements for flight attendants
and protecting our jobs from outsourcing.
In 2008, air carriers spent nearly $41 million in lobby expenses
. Of that total amount, the 20 AFA-CWA-represented airlines
spent $20.3 million, nearly half of the total expenditures for
all air carriers. This equals just over $3,600 for each AFA-CWA
member.
In order to make sure we have access to members of Congress and
to keep our issues in their minds, we rely on members' voluntary
contributions to FlightPAC*. Currently 397 US Airways flight
attendants contribute to FlightPAC, a small minority of your
work group. Help create a politically active majority of flight
attendants at US Airways by becoming a contributor today. Please
complete and mail the attached form or ask your Government
Affairs Chair for a FlightPAC brochure.
If every AFA-CWA member pledged $5 per month ($1.25 per week),
just think what an impact that would have on securing our
legislative victories!
1US Senate Lobby Disclosure Act Database
* Federal law prohibits unions
from using dues monies for political donations. |
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USA Labor Coalition
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